Could Lester's big deal, presumed price tags for Shields and Scherzer stoke trade market for starting pitchers?

SAN DIEGO - Jon Lester is getting ready to earn $155 million for the Chicago Cubs. So that means teams that were trying to sign Lester are looking for other ways to fix their rotation. The Giants were in Lester and so were the Red Sox, Lester's former team. Lester could have gone to either of those teams that have a combined five World Series victories since 2004. Instead, he accepted the challenge of becoming the first player in history to win World Series with the Red Sox and Cubs, who haven't won since 1908. The two best free agent pitchers on the market are Max Scherzer and James Shields. Scherzer is 30 and has won 39 games combined with ERAs of 2.90 and 3.15 in the last two seasons for Detroit. Shields, 29, went from Tampa Bay to Kansas City and pitched the Royals into their first playoff since 1985. If the price tags of Shields and Scherzer are too high, there's the trade route - and there are likely plenty of pitchers that could be had, including Philadelphia's Cole Hamels, Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto or Detroit's Rick Porcello. As the Winter Meetings come to a close and the baseball world departs San Diego's perfect weather, here's what we have learned from the recent gathering: * Miami - not Atlanta - is going to be the biggest competition for the Nationals in the NL East. The Marlins, who had 77 wins last season, added second baseman Dee Gordon, a leadoff batter who led the majors with 64 steals last season, in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gordon at the top of the Marlins lineup means that Christian Yelich will move to No. 2 in the order. The Marlins are an aggressive team this winter, and they are still looking for another starter, power bat and even a closer. * Disaster is the best way to describe the Philadelphia Phillies' predicament. After being a powerhouse and making the postseason four consecutive years from 2008 to 2011, including a World Series title in 2008, the Phillies are trying to shed contracts and start over. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is close to going to the Dodgers, but pitcher Cole Hamels ($96 million) and first baseman Ryan Howard ($60 million) are going to be difficult to trade. At least there's a market for Hamels, but the Phillies are going to have to pay a chunk of Howard's salary for him to go, which would be a good deal for small-market Tampa Bay. If Howard, 35, stays in Philly, there's talk he could be a platoon player. Wow. * The Cincinnati Reds have interesting decisions to make with their pitching. They have four starters - Mat Latos, Cueto, Mike Leake and Alfredo Simon - that are eligible for free agency after the 2015 season. Lester's $155 million contract with the Cubs did the Reds no favors. Do they keep their pitching together and hope that Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce can bounce back from injury and ineffectiveness to carry the offense? Or do they start a rebuilding process and trade pitchers for players that will help them down the road? * The elbow ligament injuries that were an epidemic in baseball last season could have an effect on the National League East. The Marlins' Jose Fernandez, the NL Rookie of the Year in 2013, is targeting June at the earliest for a return, Marlins manager Mike Redmond says. And Matt Harvey, one of the New York Mets' best pitchers, is expected to return from his Tommy John surgery on opening day, although Mets manager Terry Collins says they will monitor him closely. * Oakland has done major shuffling. The A's will have two new corner infielders in Ike Davis and Brett Lawrie, replacing Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss. Their new DH is Billy Butler. Their new shortstop is Marcus Semien, a prospect that arrived in the Jeff Samardzija trade from the White Sox. And their rotation, led by Scott Kazmir and Sonny Gray, will be helped by the return of Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffon around the All-Star break. * The Chicago Cubs spent $155 million to get Lester into their rotation and while there is new life on the Windy City's North Side, the Cubs might not be the favorite to win the NL Central. With Jason Hammel, Travis Wood, Kyle Hendrick, Edwin Jackson, Tsuyoshi Wada and Jake Arrieta, the Cubs have pitching depth, but the key to their season will be how well the nucleus of young players, such as Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Arismendy Alcantara, develops. * On the South Side of Chicago, the White Sox have similar questions. Adding Samardzija, closer David Robertson and first baseman Adam LaRoche makes them a better team, but is there depth in the rotation beyond Samardzija and Chris Sale? And, how will Adam LaRoche adjust to a new league and possibly the role of part-time DH? * The Minnesota Twins, with new manager Paul Molitor, have been striking out trying to add pitching, but a healthy Ricky Nolasco, who signed a four-year, $49 million contract last season, would be a help to a rotation that has a solid Phil Hughes and an emerging Kyle Gibson. Nolasco, one of the NL's most dependable pitchers before coming to the Twins, pitched last season for three months with an elbow injury, trying to justify the big money the Twins gave him. The Twins say Nolasco will go into spring training healthy.